Stories for December 3, 2013

An unemployed motorcycle mechanic charged with killing a Transportation Security Administration officer and wounding three others during a rampage at Los Angeles International Airport last month is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday.

A San Diego woman who paid $99 to have her genes analyzed by 23andMe wants her money back. And she thinks thousands of other customers will too. Just days after the FDA ordered 23andMe to stop selling its products, the company now faces a class action lawsuit.

Here's a variation of the does-a-falling-tree-make-a-sound-if-no-one-hears-it riddle: Can the House be considered productive if it passes bills the Senate won't ever take up and the president won't ever sign?

On election night, after the ballots are cast…the county registrar’s office has the job of counting all the votes and figuring out who won. The count will now happen in a brand new state of the art building.

Experience the beauty, romance and dramatic power of musical masterpieces in this visual and auditory joyride through the world of classical hits. Host Martin Goldsmith guides viewers on this fresh and engaging exploration of the world of classical music, with personal reflections from Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell and Stewart Copeland of The Police, among others.

A newer form of mammogram may do a better job of finding cancer, a study finds. But the technology is still too untested to know if it's going to be useful for most women, or even to know for sure which ones might benefit.

Citrus farmers in California's Central Valley made preparations Tuesday to protect their crops, as a cold front that could bring near-record low temperatures in parts of the state began moving through.

The editor-in-chief of The Guardian, which has forged leaks from Edward Snowden into a seemingly endless series of exposes concerning U.S. electronic surveillance activities, says the newspaper has published just 1 percent of what it's received from the former NSA contractor.

There is "no indication the brake systems were not functioning properly" when a New York City commuter train derailed Sunday, National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener told reporters late Tuesday afternoon.

The most common stereotype of black vernacular is the pronunciation of the word "ask" as "ax." "Ax" has gotten a bad rap for years. Pronounce "ask" as "ax," and immediately many will assume that you're poor, black and uneducated. New York City's first African-American schools chancellor, Dr. Richard R. Green, put it on his list of "speech demons." He insisted that "ax" be eradicated from students' vocabulary.

Washington residents thinking about jumping into the state's new legal marijuana industry need to act soon. The deadline to apply for a state license to sell recreational pot is Dec. 19, and the applications are flooding in.

Like Enrico Caruso before him, Luciano Pavarotti extended his presence far beyond the limits of Italian opera. Quickly establishing his rich sound as the great male operatic voice of the 20th century, he expanded his reach to stadium concerts and pop collaborations that brought him fame beyond measure. Audiences adored his larger than life personality, childlike charm, generous figure and happy go lucky style. This program celebrates the 50th anniversary since the launch of the international phenomenon.

A bipartisan group of California lawmakers is asking Congressional leaders to remove an amendment to the federal Farm Bill. Opponents say the “King Amendment” would nullify dozens of California laws that regulate food and animal welfare.

For little ones awaiting Christmas, it may seem like FOREVER until Santa Claus begins his journey around the globe. But the folks at NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) have their Santa Tracker website up and running - with lots of games, music, and movies to keep the kiddies busy until the big day arrives.

Performing with members of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra in Phoenix, Arizona, The Texas Tenors bring their own signature blend of breathtaking vocals, humor and cowboy charm to their first PBS special. The highest-ranking vocal group in the history of America’s Got Talent, this versatile and talented trio — Marcus Collins, John Hagen and JC Fisher — smoothly blend great music from the worlds of country, folk, opera and Broadway.

Merrill Newman, the 85-year-old American war veteran and tourist who was arrested in North Korea in October, once supervised a guerrilla group of "perhaps the most hated and feared fighters" of the Korean War, his former comrades say. That's according to the AP, which offers details about Newman's service as a possible explanation for his detention.

The largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history took a major step forward Tuesday when a federal judge ruled that the city of Detroit is eligible for protection under Chapter 9 of the U.S. bankruptcy code.

Overweight or obese people are indeed more likely to die prematurely than people of normal weight, say researchers who've analyzed the data. Their conclusion throws cold water on recent studies that have found some excess weight isn't so bad.

San Francisco has long been a desirable place to live -- and that's even more true today as the city is basking in the glow of another tech boom. But the influx of new money and new residents is putting a strain on the city's housing market.